Count on Me
by Lahirta
Summary: Castiel is sent to earth as a fledgling to watch over Samuel and Dean Winchester while they are still children. The Heavenly Host is concerned that John's obsession with the Yellow Eyed Demon will cause the premature demise of the two boys.


**Author's Notes:** _This has been bugging me for quite some time so I finally caved in started to write it. __  
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**Disclaimer:** _Don't own the show or the boys, just my imagination._

**Story Summary: **_Castiel is sent to earth while a fledgling to watch over Samuel and Dean Winchester while they are still children. The Heavenly Host is concerned that John's obsession with the Yellow Eyed Demon will cause the premature demise of the two boys. _

**Chapter Content:** _Castiel is sent to earth and tries to track down the Winchesters._

**Warning: **_Cursing, child abuse and violence. _

* * *

_"_Castiel," a hand descends upon a younger angel's shoulder, fingers squeezing in a reassuring manner. "Michael wants to see you."

Black wings twitch with uneasiness as the fledgling twists so that blue eyes finally come to rest on the voice. "Gabriel!" The little angel greets happily, standing on top of the bench on which he had previously been sitting. The archangel watches him with amusement before a soft, _ooof,_ escapes his lips when the little bundle of energy launched itself at him.

"Hey there squirt." Gabriel cradles his younger brother in his wings; Castiel always enjoyed riding in the archangel's silver appendages. "You're getting heavy, might want to lay off on all of those sweets little bro."

The teasing produces a pout from his younger cohort and Gabriel grins as he strides through one of the many gardens that spread across the expanse land in front of Michael's house. The occupant of the house was waiting for them on the porch as they made their way across the lawn.

"Gabriel." Michael's greeting is solemn but not bitter or irked. A small amount of warmth reaches his eyes as he turns his gaze onto his youngest brother. "Castiel," a slight smile twitches on the archangel's lips, "its good to see you little brother."

"And you." The fledgling has gone from care free to serious, clearly trying to imitate his two older brothers.

Michael dips his head before guiding Castiel into the house, shooting Gabriel an appreciative look over his shoulder. "I have a job for you Castiel."

The younger angel perks up, mind racing with possibilities. "Yes?"

"I'm sending you down to earth, little brother."

Fear flashes through Castiel's eyes. "Brother, I don't understand..." The smaller angel shivers before continuing, "I haven't done anything have I?"

"No, this is not a punishment." Michael assures him softly, "I'm sending you to protect two boys. I need you to be their guardian angel."

"What if I let you down?" The question is spoken timidly.

"You won't little brother."

A hand lays itself on Castiel's shoulder and suddenly the world around him spins out of focus and he tumbles down in a whirlwind of light.

* * *

A whispered apology floats in Castiel's head as he crash lands into his vessel's body. The boy who owned the body was gone, Michael must have removed him just prior to his own entry. It felt oddly empty, something the little angel had never felt before. His brothers had told them that emotions of the vessel shouldn't affect him... and yet there was that feeling.

His clothing is wet and Castiel frowns in confusion. The boy he's using must have been in the rain for quite some time. His body starts to shake and the fledgling feels fear creep up from his gut. His body shouldn't be cold and he should not be feeling miserable because of it. A man starts walking towards him and the angel panics, his wings flapping down as he disappears.

~Count on Me~

When he touches down again he's in a field. Cows are munching on the grass around him and Castiel breathes in their scent. There is something oddly calming about their presence and he nestles up against one of the females when she lays down in the grass. The air is frigid and the little boy can see the puffs of breath under the moonlight. _At least the wetness is not here._

He doesn't realize that he's fallen asleep until the next morning. The cow is watching him, something akin to affection in her brown eyes before her tongue reaches out and swipes through his hair. Castiel blinks and looks at her blearily not understanding why she licked him. _Maybe she wants to eat me._ The panicked thought causes him to rise to his feet and he pushes down with his wings, vanishing from the field and leaving a lonely cow in his wake.

~Count on Me~

Something is tugging at his grace, beckoning the angel to come and Castiel tries to follow it. The task proves to be more difficult than he thought. Then again, it didn't help that his target was currently moving close to eighty miles per hour. The first time he tries to catch the Impala he finds himself landing in a tree alongside the highway. The second time he just barely avoids being flattened by a semi truck. It takes him several minutes to regain his composure, his heart racing frantically in his chest. Sucking in a deep breath he beats down on the air with his wings once more. This time he's inside of a van, the driver curses when he appears and swerves off of the road. The angel doesn't have time to vanish as the vehicle crashes through the guard rail and flips over.

Pain sears through him as his body is ejected out of the van through the windshield. There is a sickening _snap_ as pain races up his back and attempts to engulf him. _The Winchesters are pulling further away._ The thought fuels him as he tries to mend his broken back. The effort is excruciatingly slow and when he has done all he can do only the break itself is fixed. He's not strong enough to fix all of the damage and he looks back at the crumpled remains of the van before crawling over to the driver's door. The man is dead, his body already becoming cold to the touch. _Father, I'm so sorry, _the fledgling looks to the sky, _please allow this man to rest in heaven. _He stands shakily, testing the bond in his grace as he searches for his target. They seem to have stopped and the angel feels relief sweep through him.

~Count on Me~

When his feet touch down his legs are unable to bear the brunt of the landing. A surprised and rather pained groan leaves Castiel before he even has a chance to stop it. The pain in his back flares angrily when his body crumples to the cement outside of a shabby looking motel. His eyes scan the area before fixating on a single car. _The Impala was there. _

The celestial being stares at it for a moment before his wings push down and suddenly he's _in_ the car. Nobody is in the car but Castiel can't summon the energy to care. He hisses as his back makes contact with the backseat and turns so that he is facing the leather, back exposed to the rest of the car. Something tells him that John Winchester won't be happy to find him but he'll deal with that after he gets some rest. Exhaustion takes hold of him and his wings, although tiny, shoot out and go lax on the floor as sleep claims him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ I know that Castiel being sent to the Winchesters while younger has been done before but I've never seen a fic with Jimmy gone... and this idea has been bugging me for quite some time. Please review, they make me smile when my day has gone to the fan. _


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